De Blasio heads to Iowa in hopes of defining a national role

[brooklynite]

Source: Politico

Bill de Blasio is headed to Iowa again, but the mayor of New York City insists he’s really not running for president.

De Blasio, whose unfulfilled national ambitions have never been far from the surface, will be in Des Moines in early December preaching the progressive message as the best means for Democrats to win control of statehouses nationwide and, the biggest prize, the U.S. House of Representatives. He will also be trying to define a new role for himself in the party.

More to the point, he’s diverging from the Clinton brand of Democratic politics from whence he came and fully embracing the Sen. Bernie Sanders wing of the party — a seemingly more natural fit for a man who won his first mayoral term on the message of income inequality.

"I think the Democratic party is ill-defined right now, and I think it’s ill-defined because it’s lost touch with what should be its core ideology,” de Blasio said during a Gracie Mansion interview Sunday afternoon. “Because it’s ill-defined, they’re not winning elections, and the two go together.”

Read more: https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2017/11/20/de-blasio-heads-to-iowa-in-hopes-of-defining-a-national-role-119253

---

I suppose doing his job as Mayor is out of the question?

[emulatorloo]

1. You don't go to Iowa unless you are thinking about running.

Sorry. Good question re his day job.

[nycbos]

2. Mr. Mayor. I am one of your constituents.

I voted for you in 2013 and 2017.


You need to put aside your kindergarten like feud with the Governor and fix the Subway. They are a mess.

[CTyankee]

3. Your win was impressive in NY. But nonetheless NYC still needs you on your day job.

Cool it for a while, OK?

[DURHAM D]

4. Pretty funny that a New Yorker

thinks he can go to Iowa and explain America's "core ideology".

[BumRushDaShow]

5. I know most in this thread so far are insulting him for doing this

but IMHO, I think it is good for some of the "big city" mayors to get out of their "bubble" and see what it is like across the rest of the country.

One of the (valid) criticisms of the party is that it has more and more been populated with "big city liberals" who ignore the small town and rural areas. Perhaps he could do some listening in order to learn about the best ways to tailor a liberal/progressive message to the various regions of this nation that are often very different from one another.

[orangecrush]

6. Why all the negativity?

I was under the impression the Mayor is a solid progressive.

This is evidenced by the right's rather transparent attempts to besmirch his reputation.

I think he would make a great President, certainly the antithesis of Giuliani and his sock Trump.